Top 5 Most Unusual Low Tech Ways To Prevent Burglary

Protecting your home or business premises is sure to be a priority for you these days. With the national economy getting worse, burglary is again becoming a more common crime. American homes are victims of burglary about every 15 seconds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The typical homeowner suffers a loss of nearly $2,000 in stolen goods or property damage. But with smart use of technology you can prevent most thefts.

But the good news is that theft can be prevented in a number of sensible, conventional ways. You might be surprised at the tricks burglars may use to break in to your home. Knowing how it’s done can help you prevent them from succeeding. With today’s gadgets and technology advancements, you have a multitude of options. For example, consider installing a anti-theft home alarm system, a CCTV camera network or a solid burglar alarm from a firm like adt.co.uk will make you feel a lot more at ease. Having said that, there are occasions in which homes or businesses which aren’t so well protected end up being robbed. Thankfully, on some occasions the burglars are thwarted in unusual ways which owe little to technology. Here is how some were thwarted.

By Themselves

This tale occurs in Romania and it seems fair to start off by saying that the burglar involved in it probably wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. He was in the middle of robbing a house when he heard a noise. Assuming that someone else was breaking into the house at the time he was he did what any foolish criminal would have done; he called the police. When the cops turned up they only found our hero there and promptly arrested him. Upon further investigation it was believed that the noise which had scared him into calling the police had been made by the family’s cat.

By a Palm Tree

A homeowner in Altamonte Springs in Florida had a lucky escape thanks to his choice of garden tree. A couple of burglars had nabbed goods from his property and were making their getaway when their car got stuck on a small palm tree outside the house. Before they could free the vehicle police officers turned up and arrested one of them, while the other managed to escape.

By a Road Flare

This is one home security measure not to try at home. A California couple were woken in the early morning by a burglar in their bedroom. The man got hold of a handily placed Samurai sword to scare the intruder but his partner went a step further and grabbed a road flare then lit it. Quite what a road flare was doing in the bedroom wasn’t reported but it seemed to do the trick and the criminal fled the scene.

By a Trap Door

It isn’t clear exactly how many robberies were thwarted by the trap door technique but it seems safe to assume that at least one hapless thief fell into a pit while trying to steal from a bank. This invention can be seen in US newspaper adverts from the 1930s and it certainly sounds like an effective way of keeping people from robbing banks. When the would-be thief walked up to the cashier to ask for money the employee would operate a secret lever which opened a trap door in front of their window, leaving the criminal to fall into the yawning chasm which had suddenly appeared. He ends up in a steel walled cage and the cashier gets a pay rise. What could possible go wrong?

By Hot Coffee

This final incident took place in a Dunkin Donuts drive thru in Connecticut. A car pulled up and someone tried to get out and force their way into the restaurant. Quick thinking worker Angelica didn’t have a trap door in front of the window but she did have a steaming hot pot of coffee to hand and she wasn’t afraid to use it. After she threw the hot beverage over him he ran off empty handed.